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This Sliding Bar can be switched on or off in theme options, and can take any widget you throw at it or even fill it with your custom HTML Code. Its perfect for grabbing the attention of your viewers. Choose between 1, 2, 3 or 4 columns, set the background color, widget divider color, activate transparency, a top border or fully disable it on desktop and mobile.

Press Kit: NOT Dr. Tamara

Tamara’s Story

If it’s run-of-the mill, straight-out-of-a textbook medical advice you are after then Tamara is not your girl. In fact, she’s not even a doctor. Rather she’s a passionate explorer of natural alternative ways of living to engender a happy, healthy lifestyle for both adults and children alike.

Tamara is a young mother to four lively children. For over a decade her children have inspired her to seek natural and holistic alternatives to compliment their health and wellbeing. When she created her Amber Anklets business several years ago, it opened a gateway to many parents looking to understand her approach and she spent much time helping and advising parents on alternative health and parenting ideas. She seemed to start most conversations with “I’m not a doctor but…”. And her NOT Dr.Tamara blog was born.

Bursting with innovative ideas, help and advice, Tamara is passionate about reaching as many as she can – helping others is her tonic. She offers support to individuals and businesses to help them find a new lease of life and direction. She provides life coaching and business, personal and spiritual development services for those that need help or inspiration.

Tamara says: “I have always felt a strong urge to help and do more for others. Knowing my four children only have me to depend upon and look up to is what fuels me. I refuse to be a helpless woman and let my children become ‘statistics’. I want to show them that you can have your own business, support yourself AND help others all at the same time. My dreams are simple; I want all of my children to be happy and I want to be able give them a good future whilst helping others too. This blog and my other business allows me to do that. I have been knocked down emotionally many times in my life but what’s important is that I have got back up each and every time stronger and better for it. Some people need help getting back up and that’s where I come in. I am here to help people stand up, find their light and shine it brightly.”

All of the articles on www.notdrtamara.com are written with the intent of adding value and improving your life. Tamara believes it’s her life mission to spread love, truth and happiness to everyone and the mission starts here.

Interview with Tamara

What makes you get out of bed in the morning?

‘Usually my children. And usually at an unreasonable time but it’s the best way to wake up. I’m single and currently co-sleeping with my 1-year-old and he gets up and grabs my face and starts kissing it and it’s one of my most favourite parts of the day. I find it’s productive to start the day on a happy note and he definitely makes me happy.

How old are the rest of your children?

They are 11, five and three. They are all lovely ages, well, apart from my eldest who is going through his teenage stage earlier than planned, he is still a lovely boy but the attitude is less cute when your are over five.

There were many things, it’s hard to know where to start. It was all these little pushes and signs from the universe. I dragged my feet for so long even though I knew it was what I should be doing. Eventually the universe pushed me so hard I had no choice to but to start a new project.

What was it that pushed you then?

Ah, this I remember vividly. When my fourth child was 10 days old there was a loud bang at the door at 6.30 am. I jumped out of bed, boobs and breast milk everywhere and when I opened the door, stood in front of me were a bunch of police officers and the trading standards. It was a scary moment. They started yelling at me to put my clothes on and said they had a warrant for to search my house. I was selling Baltic Amber as a teething product for children at the time and the trading standards had been sending me letters about the wording of my advertising. They had told me to stop using the word ‘teething’ and said I could not make any health claims about Amber, even though it is sold over the counter in chemists as a teething/healing product in other EU countries. Being the person I am I did not stop using the word teething or stop telling people about its PROVEN health claims as I knew it wasn’t a question of whether or not it worked, it was a matter of bullying and money. Big pharmaceutical companies have money to buy licenses to sell whatever they want AND they have money to suppress their opposition. I was the opposition and I did not have the money to get the licenses.

So they seized everything. My business was shut down and I was effectively ruined. As I had started the business slowly and built it gradually putting most of my profit back into buying things I needed to help it grow I was completely at a loss. They took EVERYTHING. All my stock, my marketing materials, business cards, envelopes, even my postage stamps. Everything I had built up was gone. However as I am not one to sit around crying and felt this was a big signal to start something new. That was four months ago and now we are here.

That was pretty quick. Can we ask how you manage being a full-time parent, your website and your other business?

I just do. I have to. Whether it means I get up at 5am and work before everyone else gets up, or I take them to a play area with wifi and do the ‘bad mum’ thing and look like I’m ignoring my kids whilst I work or I stay up until 3am, I find a way to get it done. One of the upsides to single parenting is I get every other weekend alone and it is amazing what I can achieve in just 48 hours. I use the time I have very wisely and I am incredibly organised.

Wow, so you are incredibly busy. Do you find it stressful?

I’d be mad and lying if I said no BUT stress is my indicator to stop and take a break. Stress is something I avoid as much as I can because it can have such a negative impact on your physical and mental health. I need my mind healthy and happy. I try to work in a state of ‘flow’ and stress is definitely not productive for that. If something becomes too much I just put it down and let it be until I can handle it. I find a lot more gets done when I do it at my own pace instead of forcing myself to do it all at once or when I am not in the mood. Deadlines are stressful and I rarely have any to work to as I work for myself. I am very lucky that although there is slight stress at times, it’s very little and easily manageable. I really do try and avoid stress!

You seem like you have it all figured out-is there anything you can’t do?

Of course! No one has it all figured out, especially me! I just do what I can and try and do it well.

You offer life coaching and other development services-what qualifies you to do this?

Nothing certified that’s for sure. I have lived a very colourful life over the years and had a number of jobs before starting my own business. I have worked in recruitment, business development, retail, fundraising and boring offices and this was all before I started working for myself. Since then I have started my own businesses and received business management training. I am an ideas person and have always been good at helping people find their passion and making it work for them. I know how hard it can be to start a business alone or as a parent and I help guide people through that. Without sounding like too much of a weirdo, I believe I am meant to help other people be happy.

You seem to like helping others, do you do any charity work?

I do what I can. I tend to try and help people on an individual basis. Big charities make me mad, their CEO usually earns more than what’s needed to save the entire world and only a few % of the money we donate ever goes to a good cause. I prefer to give more hands on, real help. I have just released my first book ‘The Happy Diet’. My plan is to sell one million copies and use the money raised to fund a bus that will be converted into a travelling shower and maintenance facility for homeless people.

Why a bus?

Because homelessness is a real problem. Everyone deserves shelter but these people are unfortunately in a catch 22 situation. I have worked in recruitment and no one will hire someone that is unshaven and unable to wash. If you are homeless a job is your ticket off the streets, but how can you get a job if you have nowhere to prepare and can’t have a simple shower? I want to help the root cause of the problem. Giving a homeless person a meal is great but it’s temporary. However if you put them on the bus, give them a shower, a hug and some interview skills, they have more of a chance of succeeding and helping themselves in long term.

That does sound like a good plan!

So do you have any other plans?

One thing I have learnt over the years is that the more you try to do, the less that gets done. I am concentrating on the website for now and just about to start writing another book. That is more than enough to keep me busy for now!